Means for high tension insulation



May 3 1932. H581 RUDER I FOR HIGH TENSION INSULATION MEANS Filed June 1'7. 1930 Patented May 3, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE CORPORATION CALIFORNIA mica innnmnn nnnnn, or rmxron'r-oN-rnE-mm, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR r0 INTERNATIONAL rnncxrrrarron comrm, or LOS memes, CALIFORNIA, A

MEANS non men TENSION msn'nnron This invention relates to the insulation of high tension electric conductors or other bodies to bemaintained at high electric potential with respect to surrounding bodies, and the invention is directed particularly to means for heating high tension insulators.

It is in many casesnecessary or advantageous to heat high tension insulators, in order to prevent short circuiting across the surface. of the insulators due to formation of conducting films of condensed liquid on the surface thereof or-to prevent short circuiting through the body of the insulators in case of porous materials, such as day, which are sometimes used at certain temperatures, due to penstration of condensed liquid into the interior of such insulating material. The condensed liquid which must be thus guarded against may result from condensation of vapors from the surrounding atmosphere or gaseous medium, for example, the condensation of moisture or water vapor from air or the condensation of condensable constituents, from other gases surrounding the insulators.

For example, in electrical precipitation apparatus the gases to be treated are frequently at a temperature in excess of atmospheric temperature or in excess of the temrature at which the high tension insulat- 30 mg means of such apparatus would be maintained if no particular heatingmeans were provided, and such gases also frequently contain water vapor or other vapors which tend to condense upon contact with bodies at lower temperature than the gases. This lnvention is particularly intended and adapted for use in connection with the high tension insulating means of electrical precipitation apparatus, but may also be used in connect on wlth any high tension insulators where 1t'1s necessary to heat the same in order to prevent condensation or accumulation of conducting materials thereon.

In case the gases to be treated in an electrical precipitation apparatus, or otherwlse brought intocontact with high tenslon insulating means, contain combustible constitu- I ents', there is a still greater necessityfor heating the insulators to prevent condensation of conducting liquid thereon, for 1n such cases Application filed J'une 17, 1930, Serial No. 461,881, and in Germany July 17, 1929.

- means usually comprising means for passing a heating medium through, around or over the insulators, so as to'heat them principally Toy-conduction. These heating means, however, have the common disadvantage that the heating means must be placed immediately onthe surface of the insulator or in contact therewith, and it has been difficult to bring the heating apparatus in suficiently close contact with the insulators to provide the necessary heating, without causing short circuiting through the heat conducting walls of the heating apparatus itself. Another disadvantage of the heating means heretofore used is that the heating is rather localized, and irregular on different parts of'the insulator surface; and furthermore it is difficult to maintain the surfaces of the insulators at the desired temperature without having to heat the entire body of the insulators to substantially the same temperature. Such heating means have, therefore, proved not only inefiicient in some cases but also uneconomical. a

The principal object of this invention is to provide more efiicient and economical means for heating high tension insulators without the introduction of any diificulties due to tendency to short circuiting through the heating apparatus. According to my invention this object is accomplished by heating Til means which are sufiiciently remote from them conductors to prevent short circuiting from the high tension conductors or bodies through the heating radiating means.

The invention comprises essentially the combination with a high tension insulator, of means spaced from the insulator and adapted to radiate heat onto the surface of the insulator; The radiating means may comprise any suitable source of radiant heat, and preferably comprises a source of sulators.

radiant heat such as an electric heating coil or an incandescent lamp, and heat reflecting means so as to reflect heat from said source upon the surface of the in- In some cases, and particularly where it is desired to protect the heatrefleeting surfaces or the source of heat from deposition of dust or foreign matter thereon, as in the case of the insulators in electrical precipitation apparatus which are exposed to gases containing suspended solid or liquid material, I prefer to mount the heat reflecting means and preferably the source of heat also in a chamber separated from the gases surrounding the insulator and provided with heat transmitting walls, such as windows of glass or other suitable material, in positionbetween the heat radiatin means and the insulator, so as to permit eifective radiation of heat from said radiating means onto the in sulators while preventing access of the' gases and the suspended material contained therein to the heat radiating or reflecting means. The accompanying drawings illustrate a simple embodiment'of my invention, as applied to the insulators in an electrical precipitation apparatus, and referring to these drawings: c. Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a portion of an electrical precipitationapparatus provided with high tension insulating means and with means for heating the high tension in-- sulators according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 in Fig. 1. A side wall of the precipitator chamber is indicated at 1 and the top wall thereof at 2. Within said chamber a plurality of collect ing electrodes 3, consisting, for example, of metal plates, screens or the like, are supported in any suitable manner and are elec-' trically grounded asindicated at 4 and also electrically connected in any. suitable manner to the grounded side of any suitable source of high tension electric current. Between said collecting electrodes are provided suitable discharge electrode means indicated at 5, consisting, for example, of fine wires or rods of small diameter or other suitable members adapted to the production of silent or corona discharge there'from'when a suitable high electric potential is maintained between said discharge electrodes and the collecting electrodes. The discharge electrodes are shown as suspended from supporting rods 6,

resting adjacent their ends on common supporting bars, one of which is shown at 7.

An insulator housing 11 is provided alongside the upper. portion of the precipitator chamber, and the interior of said insulator housing is connected to the precipitator by means of a passage 12. The supporting bar 7 extends through passage 12 and rests on a supporting insulator 13. It will be understood, of course, that similar means are pro- 'vided for supporting and insulating the other end of the supporting bar 7 and also for supporting both ends of a similar bar extending parallel to the bar 7 and serving to support the other ends of the rods 6. A leadin conductor 14 is connected to the support-' ing bar 7 and extends through the lead-in insulator 15 in the top wall of the insulator and outer housings. Within these compartments are provided sources of radiant heat, shown as comprising incandescent electric lamps 19 connected to electric current supply wires 20. I have shown one of these incandescent lamps aslocated in each of the compartments 18 at the approximate level of the supporting insulator 13, and also one of such lamps located in each of said compartments at the approximate levelof the ex osed portion of the lead-in insulator 15. n order to permit radiation of heat from said sources of heat onto the surfaces of the insulators, heat transmittin wall portions or windows 21 are mounted tween each lamp and the insulator which is to be heated thereby. These windows may be made of glass, quartz glass, or other suitable material adapted to permit free radiation of. heat therethrough. Furthermore, in order to concentrate the heat from the lam s and cause the heat radiated therefrom to e directed principally toward the surfaces of the insulator, I may provide suitably curved mirrors or reflecting members 22 behind the respective lamps.

In the operation of the electrical precipitating apparatus it will be understood that the gas to be treated is passed'through the precipitator chamber and between the discharge electrodes 5 and collectin electrodes 3 and that a high electric potential is maintained between said electrodes so as to cause electrical precipitation of sus ended material contained in the gases, in t e usual manner of such apparatus. A portion of the gas,

however, will diffuse or circulate through the passage 12 into the space around the support ng insulator 13 and around the lower portion of the lead-in insulator 15. If the surfaces of said insulators which are thus faces of said insulators and tend to cause aesaaat by is radiated, with the aid of reflectors 22,

through the heat transmitting windows 21 and onto the surfaces of the insulators, thus keeping these surfaces at all times at a temperature sufiiciently high to prevent any appreciable condensation or accumulation thereon of condensable conducting materials contained in the gases.

It will be understood, of course, that the particular means shown in the drawings and described above are given by Way of example only, and'that many modifications may be made in the construction and arrangement of the insulating means and of the means for heating the same by radiation.

1 claim:

1. In combination with a high tension insulator, a casing surrounding and spaced from said insulator and having a portion formed of material adapted to transmit radiant heat, and heat radiating means positioned at the opposite side of said casing from said insulator and adapted to cause radiation of heat through said heat transmitting portion of the casing onto the surface of said insulator.

2. In apparatus for electrical precipitation, the combination with a precipitator chamber, an insulator housing communicating with said chamber and having a portion thereof formed of material adapted to transmit radiant heat, a high tension conductor in said chamber and projecting into said housing, an insulator in' said housing and providing a support for said high tension conductor, and means exterior to said chamber and housing for radiating heat energy through the said portion of said housing to the surface of said insulator. 1

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3rd day of June, 1930.

HEINRICH BERNHARD v Minna. 

